1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to hurricane shutters and storm shutters and, more particularly, to an improvement in their resistive strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hurricane shutters with interlocking, corrugated panels are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,271 to DePaolo et al., for instance. A number of panels are placed side-by-side. The edge corrugations of adjacent panels overlap one another, so that a lateral form-lock is created among the individual panels. The panels are attached just above and just below the opening to be covered, which is usually a window or a door. In a preferred embodiment, the panels are guided in a U-rail above the opening and they are individually bolted to the wall or a rail below the opening. In some embodiments, a U-rail is also employed as the lower attachment.
While the corrugated shutters of that kind are quite effective under "normal" conditions--such as hurricane force winds of no more than about 120 mph--they cannot withstand hurricane force winds in the upper categories. Wind strength during the recent hurricanes Hugo (category 3-4) and Andrew (category 4-5) reached speeds of more than 160 mph, and over 200 mph by some accounts. In the areas of South Miami hardest hit by hurricane Andrew, for instance, some houses were severely damaged even though corrugated panels were installed and they were built in CBS structure.